Tourism Woes: Follow Up

On Monday of this week, I made a post entitled “Tourism Woes” in which I described how my Mother came to visit the Philippines and spent the night sitting on the sidewalk in front of Terminal 2 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, waiting for the terminal to open so that she could catch her flight to Davao.

On that same day, Monday, I sent an e-mail to Shahlimar H. Tamano, Director of Special Concerns for the Dept. of Tourism here in the Philippines. I informed Mr. Tamano about the situation, and just asked if he could look into it and possibly offer any comments to me about why this happened, and what could be done in the future to address the problem. I explained to him that I meant no disrespect, but it was my intention to witness the Philippines improve in the area of Tourism and was just trying to offer a suggestion on how that might happen.

That e-mail was sent 4 days ago now, and I have received no response from Mr. Tamano, or from any assistant, secretary or anybody at the Dept. of Tourism. Is this just “par for the course” when it comes to the way things work in the Philippines? Mr. Tamano’s e-mail address is published on the Dept. of Tourism website, and as the Director of Special Concerns, it would seem that if there is concern for the safety or welfare of a tourist here in the Philippines (especially when it is a Government policy that is putting safety in question) Mr. Tamano would be a little more responsive.

Maybe he is looking into the matter? My inclination is to believe that the e-mail I sent to him is being ignored, if not deleted. If he is looking into the matter, a short note saying “Thank you for contacting us. We will be in touch when we have completed our investigation” would have been nice.

Bob Martin is the Publisher & Editor in Chief of the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine. Bob is an Internet Entrepreneur who is based in Davao. Bob is an American who has lived permanently in Mindanao since May 2000. Here in Mindanao, Bob has resided in General Santos City, and now in Davao City. Bob is the owner of this website and many others.

Hi Laurence – Not a bad idea! Only exception I would have to make is to send to a Congressman, or any Senator. Senators here are not elected regionally. Senators can come from anywhere in the Philippines, it's sort of an "at large" thing. Still, though, I think that the lack of response is an indication that the Tourism Department really doesn't care about this.

Yeah, but as I mentioned earlier, the Manila Airport Authority is pursuing ISO certification…..I read this in the Manila Times. Perhaps if you copy the editor of that paper in your letter then they might be interested in it from the ISO angle.

Send a copy to your congressman (he's a neighbor of yours, btw)….Then contact your journalist friends and see if it can be published OR have him write a column about it. The topic can be about tourism and PAL… then maybe draw a Davao angle (how tourism in Davao can be afftected by this). You've got media credentials, they might listen.

I personally know a few local columnists in the local paper and my guess is that you do too. know any DCCC members? It wouldn't hurt to try this.

Sigh. Such things remind me of the general state of support in our country. Me, just like many Filipinos, already resigned ourselves to having our pleas or messages for help fall on deaf ears of unresponsive and/or uncaring officials in government or public institutions (not all of course, but our government is teeming with such people that the good ones are also tainted by the rotten one's selfish acts).

Admittedly, I am banking on the fact that the complaint is coming from a foreigner. It is unfortunate, and I hate to say it but sometimes they have more leverage than the locals. I did not want to say it in my last post (out of shame maybe?) and hoped that it was easy to read that this is implied.

Hi Bob, a very interesting discussion, my own view is that I endorse what AmericanLola has said,I doubt very much wether you will receive a satisfactory answer, in truth, its not uncommon to wait weeks and weeks for replies when writing to government officials, and thats not just in the Philippines, I wrote to a Government minister on an issue last year, it took 8 weeks to receive a reply and by then the issue was dead.

I do wish you well with your investigation into this, and I hope you do get a satisfactory reply, but I wont hold my breath, however I don't think your e mail will be intentionally deleted or ignored, I just think perhaps in this situation Bob e mail might not be the best way to convey your message, an e mail can be lost, a personal letter is harder to ignore.

I have this feeling that if you wrote a letter and use a signed for service ? again I am thinking out loud here, is there a recorded delivery service in the Philippines ? if your letter was signed for, at least it would be certified as reaching its destinatioin, on that basis you would then have a good chance of a formal reply, even if its not satisfactory.

Again Bob, we all know things are done differently, but can you keep us informed of any reply you reeceive, it would be very interesting to carry this discussion forward.

Hi Guys! I get a kick out of the responses here! Honestly, I do. When I posted the original article the other day, my thinking was "hey, this is the way it is. This is how things are done here. It will do no good to complain to anybody about it, because that's just the way things are." But, in the comments on the original post, a slew of people said "oh, you should complain – send an e-mail" some even provided a link to e-mail addresses at the DoT. I thought "what the heck, it can't hurt." So, I posted the results today, which are exactly what I expected – that nothing is done about it. Now, some of the very same people who encouraged me to send an e-mail are saying "well, what did you expect!" Ha ha… I am not mad about it, I am just saying that this IS what I expected. The only reason I even sent the e-mail was basically as a test to see what would happen, and my suspicions were confirmed.

Macky – Actually, my experience is different than what you are thinking. I feel that when a foreigner makes an inquiry or files a complaint LESS is done than if a Filipino made the same inquiry. The attitude that I have often gotten from people is "you're a foreigner – it's really not your business, you don't have a right to complain." Sorry to say this, but I have had this experience before. This is also why I don't really want to take it to the next level of a personal meeting, or making a public complaint in the media. I have virtually zero to gain from that, and I feel that there is a real possibility that it could cause consequences for me that I don't wish to experience.

Not trying to be negative here, just stating my feelings on the matter.

It is true in most countries that government employees spend most of their time figuring out how NOT to get into trouble, or create problems. This means that they rarely stick their neck out. Any gov't employee seen as trying to do something positive is seen by their peers as trying to stick out, so they get nailed down.
This is doubly true here in Phil. The gov't jobs are one of the most cushy jobs around. Do you know what benefits they get? It's just astounding. Just today, National Housing Authority employees ALL received 50,000pesos bonus (unexpected) courtesy of GMA. Don't know what for, but they did. Right down to the janitor. ALL received 50k. Now that's what I call a nice cushy job. So why would they risk that by trying to help some foreigner? Espicially that foreigner is seeking help via letter/email (read this as "no extra somthing")?
I try not to get worked up on political/public service, but everytime I do, it ruins my appetite.

I hate to say it, but I'll say it anyway "I told you so!" If you remember, I was the only one who suggested that you personally see Sonia Garcia, the Regional Director of DOT in Davao. It's sad to say but, in the Philippines, complaint emails and letters to government officials get buried or worse, deleted or thrown in the garbage. Honestly, it's a waste of time and effort. I know I sound like a broken record here but if you want to see results, you have to have a face to face meeting with the person concerned. That's just how it is. I'm sure Mr. Tamano is inundated with all these complaint emails and letters, the poor guy is probably buried in them! He'll probably get to your email sometime next year, if he ever gets to it…Sorry, buddy, don't hold your breath on this one.

The other approach is exposure in the media. Write to editors of all the local and national papers. See where that goes…

Don't think you can't complain because you're a foreigner. Why, isn't Feyma a Filipina? If this happened to my mother-in-law, I would be at the DOT office the very next day! Of course, everyone is different. It is not my intention to put pressure on Feyma but, maybe, it is just the way I am.

Hi Tina – No reason to say "I told you so" because the response is exactly what I expected too. I never said that I thought the e-mail would get any action at all. I am sorry, but I have seen what happens to people who are guests here if they complain, and I don't wish to have those results. Feyma feels the same way that I do on this. In addition, what can I gain? We can't go back in time. I know what to do next time a visitor comes, so basically, I have nothing to gain.

When it comes to writing to newspapers and such – in another thread a lot of people say "you have to let people save face…." yet in this thread everybody is saying to do this and that which will cause government people to lose face. I know that causing somebody with power to lose face is not a pleasant thing.

But you are not there to make them "lose face". You are there because you care about your host country and you want to see things improve! This is why I feel so frustrated and helpless here because I can't do much about it. Honestly, when I read your previous post, I considered going to the Phil. Consulate here in NY to talk to the Tourism attache or the Consul himself. I am just pressed for time right now but I will still do that when I get a chance. Honestly!

Bob, being complacent is a problem with us Filipinos. Accepting things because "that's just the way it is" isn't going to make things improve. We have to make noise, we have to make our concerns heard. We have to let them know that IT IS NOT OKAY!!!

Yes, Tina, but I can see Bob's position. He is living in Davao long term, and has made a place for himself as an advocate of the Philippines. He is also working to live down the bad rap that foreigners often get by being a super nice and positive guy. That is quite a job, and he doesn't really want to take on "Changing the Philippines." I think we all agree it is too bad, and even ridiculous that transit passengers must wait outside the air terminal in the rain between 12 midnight and 4 am! But Bob and I and others have also said, we are the ones who much change and adapt to life here, because we can't change things. If he were to go down to Sonia's office and tell her about what happened to his mom, I am sure she would be sympathetic. She might even be indignant! Then what would she do? Call Mr. Temano?

If Bob took it a step further and went to the newspapers, then what does Bob become in Davao? A foreigner who brings to light the shameful behaviour of the Philippine government and the DOT. Does he want to be known as that foreigner? No. He just wants to be Mindanao Bob, that nice guy who takes pictures and writes nice things about the Philippines on his blogs.

As a foreigner who has lived here for nearly 20 years, I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things, including the government and politics and so on. But I am here as a missionary and we absolutely have nothing to do with politics. We encourage people to obey all in authority and pray for all leaders. We are not here to critique or correct the system, so I keep my opinions to myself unless I am anonymous. That is the main reason I go by AmericanLola on this blog.

Nope, that me! 🙂 So I guess I am just sort of anonymous! But I am counting on the Philippines being a big place. And I don't really think anyone could really be offended by what I say, I just don't want to have what I say distract from our main purpose for being here.

Hi Tina – For some reason your last commented ended up being moderated, I had to approve it. Not sure why the software did that! Remember we had a big problem with that happening to you on the Mindanao Blog.

Yes, I am not here to make these folks lose face, but if I write to the newspaper and say that the DoT did this or that, it does cause them to lose face! The thing is, I am not here to change the Philippines. It is not my place to do that. I am not a citizen of the country, I am a guest here. I don't want to make waves. By writing on this blog, I am making my opinion known, and giving an honest account of what happened. Filipino Citizens will read this, and if they feel it is important, they can take action. It is their right to do so, perhaps their responsibility. By writing here, I am probably already going beyond what many in the Philippine Government would want me to do. Just last month, some Swedish (or was it Norwegian) people marched in a protest in Manila. What were they asking for? To stop extra-judicial killings. Not all the controversial, right? They were deported. I have worked hard to build a nice life for myself here, and I love it here, I don't care to leave. If I make a stink, or complain to the local DoT office, what can I gain? The Philippines can gain, but it is not my job to force the country to change. There is no doubt that the DoT knows what the scheduling of airport terminals is, if they wanted to change it, they will do so. It is frustrating, Tina, but I don't know that I can or should do anything beyond writing here. I do appreciate your concern, and the fact that you even considered giving of your time to bring the situation to the Philippine Consulate, thank you for that. I know that you are a true friend, and I value the friendship that you and Ken offer to me.

Hi AmericanLola – your comment and my feelings are nearly identical on this, and I thank you for pointing out things that I did not feel right saying myself.

Hi Jae – honestly, if AmericanLola wishes to retain some anonymity, I don't think that it is appropriate to make that comment. Yes, anybody can find out who she is, it would not be that hard to do. But, by remaining quiet about it, you would be showing a little more respect for her decision. By making such a remark, it almost encourages people to take up the challenge and find out what they can. I hope you understand. I don't think that you meant any malice, this is just what came to my mind.

not to stray from the subject Bob but weeks before the last election I e-mailed at least 10 papers in the philippines a "guest opinion' commentary on how they could easily (if they chose to ) quell the political killings. Not one paper sent a reply or confirmation of reciept. Shocked I was not.
….my solution was ( yes I cannot resist to see what others think ) any area which suffers a possible political killing would disqualify ALL candidates running for that seat from running for office for 2 terms. Have the President appoint a temporary figure in there which can ONLY operate the office but cannot be re-elected until the next election for that seat.

Okay, I'm back (for now…). Wow, in 1 hour we got so many more comments! Is your blog too popular, Bob, or what? 😀

I think I know what happened to my comment, Bob. I posted as "Tin", not "Tina" (I was typing too fast, all excited) so it didn't recognize who this berserk, mad woman was! 😆

Seriously, I do understand your concern Bob. It was not my intention to put you on the spot. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. What I will say, though, is I will make it my personal cause to see that something gets done to improve the situation for in-transit passengers at NAIA.

AmericanLola, thank you for bringing up points that I, as a Filipina, would not have considered a concern. I appreciate it.

Jae,
I will look that post up, when I get a chance, and if I'm wrong, I will apologize. But if I'm right, you owe me and my fellow Filipinos an apology. Fair enough?

Hi Bob,
your point makes sense. The odds were extremenly bad regardless. i agree with everyone that it is next to impossible to get the proper results from the proper channels (expecially when dealing with government).

I figured since you were trying anyway that I might suggest a few ideas (wayward ideas at best).

Wouldn't want you to be flagged as that troublesome foreigner by the authorities. Best remain "Mindanao Bob". Thanks for trying. I can't explain how appreciative I am for your effort to help improve things in the Philippines.

So what did Jae say that will require an apology? I don't see anything other than the little mishap about AmericanLola being "anonymous" and that's been hashed out already.

Refering to this comment:
"Jae, I will look that post up, when I get a chance, and if I’m wrong, I will apologize. But if I’m right, you owe me and my fellow Filipinos an apology. Fair enough?"

Actually Jae is one of the regulars whose comments I like to read even if occasionally I rebut some of his posts. But that's expected in a blog like this. However he has good insights (pardon the "he" somehow I've come to think you're a "he").

Actually I think most of the participants in this blog are good contributors. I have not seen "trashy" comments that I find common in yahoogroups that I've visited. At the most, I've seen angry comments sometimes but hardly any vulgarity. And angry comments are to be expected in any passionate discussions.

It's almost like it's a moderated forum although I don't think that it is.

Oh BTW, Tina, re. my post #38 — my follow-on comment about Jae being a good contributor has nothing to do with the challenge you posed to him about apologizing. I just want to make that clear in case I am misunderstood.

However, since I mentioned Jae's name, it just occurred to me to give my observation about the contributions he has made to this blog. And the more interesting this blog is, the more repeat visitors it will attract.

I've almost become familiar now with the regulars and the way they express themselves (ie, the "personality" behind the posts).

Hi All,
There's no harm in trying to write to the agencies about your concerns/complains. I did it to one govt agency about my mother's ecard. This agency required retirees to get an ecard for their pension. Mother has to go to CDO, waited on line, only to be told that she has to come back, blahblah. Then she was told that the ecard will be mailed to her. Months came by and mother couldn't get her pension because the ecard didn't arrive, nor could she withdraw from her bank for a reason that the agency is wiring money to another bank that has the ecard. To make this long story short, I wrote to the agency, telling them the poor services they gave to the senior citizens in our country; letting them travel from island to the big city just to get an ecard; delaying their pensions, etc, etc. In a month's time, Mama was very surprised that the ecard was delivered right at her doorstep by someone from the agency. My email to the main office, cc to the regional office of that agency must have worked! I bet they must have been burnt-out of endless complains coming from all-over the country.

I am a Filipino by birth and I've spent 90% of my life in the states. This issue you brought up is not limited to this government sector. Sorry for bringing up our school donation again. But similar things go on with the Dept of Education. If you go to their website they will tell you all about their Adopt a School program. I tried emailing those people before and after we built the buildings and not one response. SO we built them anyway.

In the west, the bureaucrats are conditioned to respond to pressure from their constituents. I am beginning to think that in the Philippines, unless people at the top initiated it, things won't happen. The bureaucrats don't respond to the bottom up approach. This probably has to do with the colonial mentality where ordinary folks took direction from the higher ups – not the other way around. I am rambling, but these attitudes from the higher ups will prevent the country from ever becoming a power house in elderly care, outsourcing, etc.

After reading the original post and this follow-up post re. tourism woes, and all the responses they acquired, I now understand Bob's position. It was also reinforced by AmericanLola. I emphatize with Bob and respect his decision to be just "Mindanao Bob" — to use AmericanLola' term.

I'm kind of puzzled though for all the long-term residents of the Philippines… Of course, it's hard to change the Philippines and I, as a Filipino, have said that time and again. But still it must be disconcerting to feel that you're there for good and you can't even "lobby" for a change on matters that affect the quality of your life… (And some matters are not even just affecting foreigners, they affect Filipinos also.)

Now, I'm just thinking aloud, er.. thinking thru my keyboard… these thoughts are now generalized and not pointed at this incident with Bob's mom or what Bob must do about it. I think I'm done with that.

Are the foreigners not "banded together" thru some kind of association, probably like "Assoc. of Foreigners Residing in the Philippines" or some such? I was wondering if there is one, issues of importance can be handled by the association and then it becomes less personalized and no one need to feel the "culprit" for causing a "loss of face" for Filipino bureaucrats.

As to deportation, will the Philippine gov't deport all the association members for voicing out a concern?

I would also think an association like that would have the clout given the collective economic power of the members behind it. As someone here elsewhere said, "it's all about money." As a group, ex-pats in the Philippines collectively have that kind of financial clout that can be used for positive bargaining. Why, look at what you all are contributing to the economy.

Okay, off my soapbox. I'm just a concerned Filipino hoping that your stay in our country is the dream that you had sought out to be, on the day that you left yours.

Hi Aldel:
I forgot to share in #40 that I didn't receive any response from the agency to my email. Just do the guessing–did they get it ? trash it ? acted on it ? The Sound of Silence is their theme song and it's real frustrating to see especially old folks experiencing this kind of treatment. 😥

Angie,
That "association" you talked about is called the UN, USA, EU…
Don't think they have much effect. Do you really think expat assn will fare any better? BTW, expats do not contribute much to the economy. They have no clout. Better if the country stays poor, so that more and more people go abroad as OFW and send dollars home, so that the rich and the powerful back home can keep on the status quo rule over Philippines.

Interesting rebuttal, from post #44. I appreciate that comment. What makes you think though that expats don't contribute to the economy? Don't they spend their retirement money over there rather than spending it in their own home country had they just decided to stay home?

I think IPPL is correct, that compared to remittances of OFWs, the money coming in from expats living in the Philippines is small. And I think he is right in saying that since the money that keeps the place running comes from the outside, nothing needs to change on the inside. Never though of it that way, good point, IPPL!

Hi Tina – I didn't feel you were putting me on the spot. I felt you were offering suggestions of a possible solution, it just turned out that they were suggestions that I didn't feel were right for me! No problems.

Hi Macky – I do appreciate your tips! Just not right for me this time around, that's all…

Hi Angie – I think I'm missing something. No matter how I search through the comments, I don't understand what Tina and Jae are talking about! Oh well…

Hi Jul – No harm in trying, just would be nice to get a response! Don't you feel so too?

Hi Aldel – Glad that you went ahead with the project!

Hi Angie – There are a number of "groups of foreigners" but the foreigner community is so diverse, it is hard to really band us all together.

Hi IPPL – I disagree with one of your points. I feel that expats make a big contribution to the economy. Our monthly spending per expat family is much higher than the average Filipino family, and that does make an impact. All in all, though, this is largely unrecognized.

Hi AmericanLola – In that respect, I do agree with IPPL and also with you. The thing that will drive change here someday is when the OFW's get tired of the way things (don't) work here, and they complain about it. Part of the way of complaining will be reducing their remittances here, or stopping them. That would really force change in any area that the OFW community targets.

That might be true, but I don't see how that could happen. OFW loyalty and financial support is to their families, not to their country or government.The country and government benefit, never the less, and like to act as though OFWs are supporting the country out of patriotic duty.

Bob – I don't think the OFWs will tire of the way things are or want very much change. 🙁

They and the family they support tread the middle ground between the very well to do and the very poor. The enhanced status provided by those remittances keeps the family from being considered among the very poor. Too, many OFWs are building family houses, retirement houses, etc. If things changed too much, rising prices would quickly negate the step-up in status they enjoy. 🙁

I've talked with a number of OFWs here in Southern California who consider their work and remittances to be family only in nature, and fear the hand of the government. They primarily want change for their family. If there's "anything left over," then it can go to help with change outside of the family. (There are a miserly one or two who see themselves returning to live the lives of kings and queens in gilded, gated compounds 😡 )

Unfortunately, the status quo maintains a fiscal gap between OFWs and non-OFWs which the former aren't that willing to see disappear.

About #49: Unfortunately, Bob, the OFW's will never tire of remittances anytime soon. Most of them have large families there. It will take generations before the OFWs' families become irrelevant.

By that I mean that OFWs just decide to stay on in whatever countries they currently call "home" — either getting married there or for those who can get permanent residency, work towards that and get their immediate families over to that country. At some point, the non-immediate family becomes less important to them as the pressure of attending to their immediate families takes precedence. Then they might stop sending those remittances. But for that to occur at a scale that will *matter* or can effect a change at the core of Philippine social fabric… I think we're talking generations and generations.

At that point, Chris, Aaron, Jared & Jean-Jean would have probably long decided to come back and resettle here in the US. Oh, oh, better tell them about NAIA terminal rules. Just kidding, Bob.

Us Filipinos are not really good at banding together and forming one cohesive pressure group to effect changes in the way the government is run. The EDSA I and II maybe exceptions to this, but those were spontaneous and nothing in the way that is sustainable. Unlike the AFL-CIO, NAACP, NRA, American Bar Association, etc in the U.S. we tend to be divided along political, regional, and other lines. I don't have a solution, but as long as the country is dominated by a few families (e.g. Lopez, Aquino, Laurel, Cojuanco, etc.) and these families continue to benefit from the present system, I don't expect major changes in my lifetime. The ordinary folks will always be underserved.

One thing that I have seen work is via connection in the government. But what a crappy way to do business and effect change. These people in higher places are well educated and should know better.

Perhaps one way to effect a change is to be-friend these powerful families or politicians, and thru

Hi Paul and angie – you will be surprised. The day will come when a few OFW's will get angry over this policy or the other. Pretty soon a few more will join in, etc. This is how change happens, I am talking major change. It will happen, it just depends when.

While we are on the topic of overseas support for families at home, I must mention two things. First, families that can afford to get their kids through college with some sort of 'exportable' skill (nurse, med-tech, care-giver, seaman) are considered to 'have it made' by the local community. Usually these were upper middle class to begin with. But the poor have found a way to get out of the country too. One is to work as lounge singers (and its corrilary occupation) and the other is to find a foreign husband or boyfriend. I know young women whose mother has told them, "If you marry a Filipino, I will be so angry with you! Go down to the internet cafe and find a foreign husband so you can build me a house!!!" I am telling the truth.

Second, after the OFW (either Overseas Foreign Worker, or Overseas Filipino Wife) has built a house for her parents, the money continues to come in. In some families, it is disaster. The parents retire from whatever jobs they had before and spend their time gambling (mothers usually play majong and learn ballroom dancing, and the fathers buy fighting cocks and drink a lot). The younger siblings are now 'rich kids' and see no need to work hard in school because Ate will just help them immigrate when the time comes. The kids of the OFW who are being raised by a single parent or by aunties and grandparents are 'rich kids' too, but do not have the stability of two parents raising them.

I am not saying all families are destroyed by OFW money, but OFW money can and does destroy the families and people it is supposed to benefit. I have seen it. The tendency is to think that money will solve all the problems, but that is not true. There are many things that should not be sacrificed for the sake of money.

Oh boy, AmericanLola, I am distressed by post #56. Let me get back to this later tonight when I am home and feeling more relaxed. By that time, hopefully also, some of my stressed-out neurons will be back in working order. 😥

These are not problems about money. These are problems about self-worth. Or at least that's what occurs to me.

As much as E mail has replaced hard copy letters sent via the Postal Service, a hard copy letter at times still commands more attention than E Mail. In situations such as you describe here, I usually follow up with a phone call and a hard copy letter sent through the Postal Service. There may also be other agencies that you could contact regarding a situation like this. I usually look for as many addresses or agencies etc. that waould have even the remotest connection to providing a remedy and contact them all. Also posting this on any and all forum sites that might be related to the situation may bring some attention.

It is unfortunate that not as many people are as good responding to E Mail as you are Bob.

Hi Bob New York USA – Thanks for your comment. Let me just be clear – I expected to get no response. I sent the e-mail as a test, since the Dept. of Tourism website specifically says that these are the people to contact VIA E-MAIL for tourism problems. I was testing their system to see if it would offer assistance in my situation.

Sending a letter through the mail here could take months to reach the recipient, even in the same city! The postal service is quite unreliable here.

As for the phone call, I do not choose to be in personal contact with any government officials on this matter, specifically because of reasons that I've outlined several times on this thread already.

Bob, I don't really know how it will stop, because I think it is a human problem, more than a Filipino problem. When individual people see things in a different light, and make choices according to wisdom, not social pressure, then things will begin to change. Individual choices determine the whole picture. These things that we see are one reason we spend time and effort on preparing and teaching materials in local languages to help people form strong families and right priorities. There is wisdom that transcends all cultures and can be applied in all cultures. People make choices based on what they believe to be true. If you believe that money is the answer to everything, you will sacrifce everything to get money. If what you believed was not true… sayang.

Angie, I am sorry to have distressed you! It is distressing to me too, actually, and I hope this did not sound like a 'cold' analysis. It breaks my heart to see people's lives ruined. I like to think we are in a position to make a difference. One must identify a problem before addressing it.

The poor find ways out of the Philippines in many, many more ways than working "as lounge singers (and its corrilary occupation) and the other is to find a foreign husband or boyfriend." (I won't let my wife read such rubbish as she'd be highly offended.) 😡

I will report that there are those who find employment as cooks, nannies, maids, chauffers, groundskeepers and in many other "blue collar" occupations.

I met my wife in London, England during a tour of duty in the Navy. She made her way there first as a nanny (yaya) for an English family. After completing her 2 year contract, she started work as a cashier in the private kitchen in Middlesex Hospital. That hospital, and others in London, employed many Filipinos in unskilled and semi-skilled positions. Trust me when I say there was no lounge singing or ancillary goings on in those hospitals.

My wife had absolutely no desire to marry a foreigner, nor have one as a boyfriend. How love ever changed that is a God-given miracle that I'm thankful for each and every day.

We are both very defensive when this topic is broached. You wouldn't know half of the discrimination we've suffered through the years – a Navy couple consisting of a sailor and a Filipina. Most kanos and pinoy/pinay expoused the same crap–he must have married an "ancillary worker" (now politely grouped in among the GRO). No one could believe that I had never been stationed in the Philippines, that we met half a world away in a land foreign to both of us, and that she worked in a hospital.

The discrimination was fiercest from Filipinos. We suffered quite a bit, yet we continued on. We continued to remit back to the family. We created a beautiful immediate family of our own. By example, we fought off the discrimination and now we hardly see any of it among Filipinos.

Kanos, on the other had, still have this assinine idea of how the poor better their lot in life. It pains me to hear it still, after over 30 years. From my viewpoint, they are words of a bigot. 😡

I stand corrected on that, you are right. many fine people work overseas in domestic jobs of many sorts.I should have given it more thought. It sounds like you and your wife are really blessed to have found each other! I don't usually get to see the good things that happen at the other side, I mostly just see what happens here in the Philippines, so that is my perspective. There are many strong families who make good use of the remittances their OFW family members send, of course, but I think most people don't realize that this system is not working well for everyone. I speak from things that have happend to people I know and conversations I have been a part of in a small community in the Philippines. I certainly didn't mean to offend or in any way disparage Filipinos in general, either abroad or at home. Please forgive me if I came across that way! There are social ills in every society, and in the context of discussing whether or not OFWs can have an impact on the staus quo here in the Philippines, I added to the point made by yourself, I believe, in comment #52, that (my point) even without knowing, OFWs could be actually contributing to the problems, social/family breakdown, as well as government status quo.

Regarding OFW's I feel I must say that I think they are a major player in boosting the Philippine economy and bringing it out of recession. I have worked with Overseas Filipino Workers throughout the Middle East for more years that I care to remember. The hardships they endure to send money home for their families to have a reasonable living standard and education for their children is beyond belief in some instances. I think they deserve a lot more credit than what they are given for what they must endure. Not only do they suffer from their employers when they come to work here, but worst of all from their own country men who are allowed to run those so called employment agencies dotted around Manila. Obviously some are genuine but others should not be allowed operate more scrutiny is required. The Government should protect their OFW's more as they are one of their more valuable assets and I think GMA's leadership is getting there slowly but surely.

Hi Jack – I tend to agree with pretty much everything you have said. I have only one slight disagreement. I think that the government should back off from the whole OFW system and stop regulating it. I tend to be a person who thinks that the government should be "hands off" on almost every area of the economy. Right now, the Government dictates so much about the OFW market, even how much they are paid, etc. I believe in the free market, and feel that the OFW could earn more money if the government let them negotiate their own wages and such. So, for me, the Government should not "protect" these folks, the government should back off and let these people handle their lives. I feel that everybody would be better off.

I don't mean to get away from the subject topic, but yes I see what you mean in your reply. The problem is that it would not work in this instance. The Government here must play a balancing act. There is so much poverty in Philippines that if the flood gates were allowed to open it would have the opposite and devistating effect I would think. Human nature I suppose being what it is, "the other man's is always greener"., let's get out of here first, anyplace would be better that this, but that's where everything would come apart. The vultures would have a field day, people would flood out of the country the standard "enjoyed" by the OFW"s at present would drop drastically, the country as a whole would suffer not to mention the unfortunates that the vultures would peck at. Embassies would be overcrowded with runaways and the supposed "suicides" would increase. I know this might sound a bit drastic but I think the Government must play a role here to protect their people.

Hi Jack – I see what you are saying – we simply disagree. For me, I don't think the government can be my protector, that is up to me to do. When the government starts coming around and saying "I'm here to help" that's when I turn around and start running! 😆

I totally agree with you Bob,
All (well 99.99999%) gov't regulations exist to protect the special interests who gain from it.
OFWs? That's the single biggest factor in Phil. The money OFWs send home props up the real estate market from crashing, which supports the big property companies in Phil(we all know who they are). And without this money, Peso would be worth nothing, which will balloon the already large debt Phil owes to the international community (the debt which is denominated in foreign currency).
But there is a whole another socondary area where this OFW pheonomenon helps. The schools (nursing, caretaker, seaman, etc.), and their high tuition. Do you know how much the nursing program costs? Incredibly high, correct. The "free" care these students provide at hospitals all across the country. Did you notice that some nurses who take your blood pressure, take your blood, etc. look very young? Chances are, they are 3rd/4th year nursing students on internship at the school hospital.
If you add up all the OFWs, their dependents in Phil, all the school employees, their dependents, the real estate companies, real estate agents,….you get my point. OFW is by far the most important.
Expats? Ha! They don't mean anything.
We shouldn't confuse foreign tourists with expats who live here. Phil cares very much about tourists which number in the millions who spend millions. Not all foreigners are treated equal…

Bob,
Back to your original complaint about your mother being stranded in Manila airport.
I will give you an insight from Korean travel agencies in Manila. There are many Korean tourists who arrive Philippines, of course. However, the arrival times are such that they are almost forced to spend 1 night in Manila before going on to boracay or such. Same thing going back home. Why is this? Surely there are so many flights for easy connection? Can you guess? This is actually a mutually beneficial situation for both Korean airlines and Manila/manila hotels. Korean airlines can sell 6 days, 5 night packages to Koreans (even though they spend only 3 nights in boracay, and 2 nites in manila–who wants to stay a night in Manila!–but most are first time international travelling honeymooners/seniors, so who cares?). And manila, of course, gets extra income. I don't think this flight plan will likely change in a while.
Why do I bring this up? Perhaps there is a reason why the manila airport is so unaccommodating. They may want your mom to spend one night in Manila before flying to Davao later in the day? What will manila gain by opening its airport to transit passengers? That means more employees, dirtier floors, etc. Do these transit passengers pay more to sit there until their 4am flight? No. So what gain is there?
More and more, as I stay here longer, I realize that the people at the TOP are really, really smart. What is seemingly ridiculous and idiotic, are very well planned out systems. Designed to make us to something that benefits SOMEONE.
Sadly, it's usually not us…

5 years ago , 2 years ago and this year , i send E-mails to tourism office, allso to iligan city and luga-it , they have webside with e-mail adress. But never i got a answer. And it was always about accomodation
or other tourist matters.
I allso mailed the mayor of iligan , because he said , that they wanted
to improve tourism and that 28 hotels in iligan. So i wanted to know about them. But still no answer.
But then allso my family in law , they know nothing about those things.
I have to look at the internet and then tell my niece where to go and to look for us to stay. Allso i wrote letters to some inn,s or small hotels,
but most of the time no answers.
Or you mail them and later their adress is closed.
I think it,s typical Philippines.

On a more positive spin related to emails, last year when I planned to make a quick hop to the Philippines, I wrote to the resident manager of Villa Angela (in Vigan). I studied the internet for possible accomodations in the area and narrowed my choice to Villa Angela. I had nothing to go by except the write-ups and the pictures on the net. I went with my gut-feel — the place seemed reminiscent of Spanish-era Philippines.

I got an immediate reply. She even offered to customize a tour package for me that would include a trip to the local potteries. I did not even know that pottery is a huge cottage industry there and that it is considered a tourist draw.

Now that I'm reading about non-responsive gov't officers and other business people, I wonder. Was I just lucky? Probably. Or could it be that I caught the attention of the resident manager? Could be. What I did was to put something on the subject line that personalized the email and make it stand out. First by reading their website I remember catching the name of the manager running the place.

Thus, my subject line started with: Attn : Will be in Vigan ; requesting rates, info on attractions

Probably that approach worked to my advantage. Or it could be the manager was just having a "great day" 😉 Who knows.